AMES, Iowa — Crop producers are faced with new grain storage issues as they store increasing amounts of grain for local processing, sometimes storing grain for a full year. A team of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field and campus specialists, formed as part of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, is working to meet the informational needs farmers have related to grain storage.

AMES, Iowa — Crop producers are faced with new grain storage issues as they store increasing amounts of grain for local processing, sometimes storing grain for a full year. A team of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field and campus specialists, formed as part of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, is working to meet the informational needs farmers have related to grain storage.

The extension team recently released three Web-based training modules covering key aspects of grain drying and storage. Greg Brenneman and Shawn Shouse, agricultural engineering specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach, are the online course instructors. The 20-minute modules cover

“Higher grain yields and increased local demand have been good for farmers, but also have created a situation where we need to think more about maintaining grain quality on a much larger scale,” said Greg Brenneman, extension agricultural engineering specialist and grain storage team member. “Our team is creating Web training modules so farmers can better understand large-scale grain drying and storage, and we’re connecting them with decision-making tools so they can best manage their grain.”

Future modules are planned to cover inventory management and shrink, toxins and food safety factors, and preseason preparations for grain storage. Educational modules, publications and decision tools are available on the team’s website at www.extension.iastate.edu/Grain/Topics/GrainStorage.htm.